Luukkonen embracing workload as Sabres' primary starter

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen embraced the challenge of starting on back-to-back nights for the Buffalo Sabres this past weekend, the continuation of what has been a busy workload for the 24-year-old goaltender.

“It feels great to have the confidence of the coaching staff,” Luukkonen said after practice at LECOM Harborcenter on Tuesday. “Starting back-to-back, it’s not a usual thing you get to do as a goalie. It feels great to have the trust of the coaching staff to get those two back-to-back starts. It was great.”

Luukkonen has now started 19 of Buffalo’s last 21 games since Jan. 11 and has a .928 save percentage, which ranks third among NHL goaltenders in that span (minimum four games played). He has already set NHL career highs in starts (38) and games played (35) with 20 games still remaining.

The back-to-back outings presented a new opportunity, even given his recent workload. Luukkonen had only started on back-to-back nights once prior in the NHL, back in December of 2021. He made a combined 69 saves on 73 shots in those games.

Luukkonen made 52 saves on 57 shots this time around, including a 22-save victory in the first game against Vegas. While he allowed two goals in the third period of the latter game against the Jets, he said felt good all the way through.

In fact, the goaltender feels the heavy workload has been advantageous to his game.

“You’re not mentally struggling with not knowing when the next game is,” he said. “It just kind of keeps on rolling. You know you have a practice day, and you have the next game coming and you know you’re gonna get the start.

“It’s a good feeling and it kind of takes a load off from your mental game because you know that you get the next game pretty fast usually. It has helped me a lot. I’ve said it before, it’s kind of where every goalie wants to be.”

Here’s more from Tuesday’s practice.

1. Sabres coach Don Granato said he does not expect Luukkonen to start on back-to-back nights again this week given the fact that both games are on the road, with a late-night flight from Toronto to Nashville intensifying the workload.

“It’s different – much, much different than playing back-to-back at home,” Granato said.

2. Kyle Okposo spoke with the media regarding the NHL trade deadline, which is Friday at 3 p.m. The Sabres captain is an unrestricted free agent after this season and said he has spoken with general manager Kevyn Adams about the team’s plan ahead of the deadline.

“We’re on the same page,” Okposo said. “He knows where I stand, and I know where he stands. And we’ll keep the rest of those talks private. We’re on the same page.”

3. Okposo said he took extra time to soak in his environment before leaving the KeyBank Center ice following the game against Winnipeg on Sunday, contemplating the possibility of it being his last home game with.

The team has two games remaining ahead of the deadline, on the road against Toronto and Nashville.  

“You never know what’s going to happen here, but, yeah, it definitely went through my mind, took a little bit of extra time,” Okposo said. “But, yeah, we’ll see what Friday brings.”

4. Here’s how the Sabres lined up at practice:

Forwards

12 Jordan Greenway – 72 Tage Thompson – 89 Alex Tuch

53 Jeff Skinner – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 21 Kyle Okposo

9 Zach Benson – 24 Dylan Cozens – 77 JJ Peterka

50 Eric Robinson – 19 Peyton Krebs – 28 Zemgus Girgensons

71 Victor Olofsson

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 10 Henri Jokiharju

25 Owen Power – 75 Connor Clifton

33 Ryan Johnson – 78 Jacob Bryson

6 Erik Johnson

Goalies

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

31 Eric Comrie